The Zegna family, together with the Group’s top management have pledged personal donations to the Civil Protection in Italy totalling 3 million Euros. This donation is in support of the nurses, doctors, scientists and volunteers across Italy who have been working tirelessly to fight this epidemic.

 The Zegna Group will also convert a part of its production facilities in Italy and Switzerland to the manufacturing of medical masks, that will provide critical supplies to both Zegna’s employees and to the wider needs in Italy and Switzerland. Additionally, they will also produce protective hospital suits for medical staff.

 

“At Zegna we believe our actions today will shape our tomorrow. The pandemic we are all facing is a call for people around the world to take action. Each of us must do our part, in every way possible, to stop this global emergency”, says Gildo Zegna, CEO of Ermenegildo Zegna.

 

The Ralph Lauren Foundation announced that it will be putting $10 million toward global response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic and begin the production of masks and isolation gowns amid increased demand for the resources. 

“At the heart of our Company, there has always been a spirit of togetherness that inspires our creativity, our confidence and most importantly our support for one another. In the past weeks and months, that spirit has never wavered,” Ralph Lauren, who serves as the executive chairman and chief creative officer for his namesake clothing company, said in a statement.

The foundation said part of the $10 million will go toward providing “financial grants through the Emergency Assistance Foundation for Ralph Lauren colleagues facing special circumstances like medical, eldercare or childcare needs.” 

The money will also be used for contributions to the World Health Organization COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, the foundation said, in addition to helping the organization build upon its “20-year commitment to cancer care through our Pink Pony Fund by supporting our long-standing network of international cancer institutions that are caring for people with cancer who are especially vulnerable at this time.”

The foundation pledged to put some of the remaining funds toward committing “an inaugural gift to the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) / Vogue Fashion Fund for COVID-19 relief to support the American fashion community impacted by the pandemic.”

The foundation also said the Ralph Lauren Corporation will begin “the production of 250,000 masks and 25,000 isolation gowns” with its manufacturing partners in the U.S. as healthcare providers have been reporting shortages amid the ongoing outbreak. 

Gucci Announces €2 Million Donation In Support Of two crowdfunding campaigns to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, calling on the #GUCCICOMMUNITY

“We Are All In This Together”, a letter by Alessandro Michele

When we met for the first time in December 2014, we were two strangers who by some mysterious alchemy understood each other immediately. Two very different people who came from equally different worlds, but with the same idea: to imagine Gucci in a completely new way. We saw Gucci as a way of saying things that are important to us about what it means to be human. We saw Gucci as the multiplier of an idea of freedom, empathy and equality in affirming one’s individuality. The work of these past five years is the result of that idea.

This pandemic calls us to an unexpected task, but it is a call to which we respond decisively, advocating the selfless work being carried out by health professionals, doctors and nurses who are working on the front lines to help those affected by the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, particularly in our home country of Italy and around the world. By supporting one another, and aiding those among us who are most vulnerable, we will be able to work through and rise above this crisis, even more united than before.

In response to the outbreak, in addition to donations made by our group Kering to organizations in China, Italy and France—we have decided to launch two crowd-fundraising campaigns with a further donation of 2 million euros: 1 million euros to support the valiant efforts of the National Civil Protection Department in Italy in partnership with Intesa Sanpaolo; and, the other 1 million euros to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund in support of the World Health Organization, through a matching campaign with Facebook.

In Gucci’s home country of Italy, which has been particularly affected by the crisis, €1 million will be donated to the valiant efforts of the National Civil Protection Department through Intesa Sanpaolo’s ForFunding crowd-funding platformiii with a dedicated webpage gucci.forfunding.it, where the #GucciCommunity can also make donations. The funds will be allocated by the Italian National Civil Protection Department, to reinforce Italy’s health services and organizations managing the emergency, with the creation of new ICU beds as a priority.

We will also be dedicating our Gucci social media feeds to public service announcements by the World Health Organization to help protect the health, safety and well- being of all.

Gucci has created a world, open and free: a Gucci global community. We ask all of you to be the changemakers in this crisis, to stand together with us in the fight against the Coronavirus by contributing to one of these crowd-fundraising campaigns donating on gucci.forfunding.it or through the “donate” feature available in the IG stories on www.instagram.com/Gucci.

With gratitude,

Marco Bizzarri Alessandro Michele

Dear Friends,

 These are testing times, the pandemic has shaken us all, but we stand in our resolve to come out of this stronger and as more kind individuals, says Sunil Sethi.

 Over the years, our designers with their myriad ideas have used their talent to bring joy & happiness into millions of lives. They have the gift to touch people’s hearts!

 Working rigorously with tailors, craftsmen, weavers, embroiderers in remote locations or their own ateliers; their only mission has been to constantly create new ideas & products. Some have been able to take their businesses to great heights while some are still at the start of this long journey.

 Our fashion week sadly had to be postponed in the wake of this Virus leading to loss of a season for the designers (to meet their buyers to secure their next season). The last month has already seen a drastic dip in sales of Textile & Apparel and with complete lockdown being announced by our Government, the cash flow has been instantly and drastically hit. Salaries, rentals, utility bills, taxes stand to be paid and with orders getting cancelled/ delayed, sales reaching NIL figures and with drying up of reserves I fear some would be severely impacted.

 Many designers in their personal capacity have come forward in doing their bit – by way of providing masks, offering cash advances to their employees, supporting teams with food/cereals. I congratulate each one of you for coming forward in supporting the need of the hour and initiating brave and positive steps towards mitigating this unprecedented crisis (COVID-19).

 Unfortunately, not everyone is left with ample reserves to wade through this period of crisis. Smaller businesses (with tremendous potential) are run like a one-person-army; one individual taking care of a team of craftsmen, playing the role of a manufacturer, sales person, accountant, promoting and providing for his/her little family and bursting with ideas. A lot of them are not in a position (or have the luxury of time) to process formal paper-works to seek support from banks / financial institutions.

 We, as a fraternity, are what we are because of each one of our designers; their passion is our driving force and with a little support we can lend them some strength to spring back on their feet sooner than later.

 FDCI has taken the lead to set up a COVID-19 Support Fund (CSF by FDCI) to provide financial assistance to small businesses and young designers in need. An eminent designer member of the industry has very kindly pledged support to this cause. The Council, the Board and myself are putting in the seed funds to get this rolling.

 For further details, please write to us at csf@fdci.org.

 We are in this together. Until then stay safe, be home, be kind and spread love.  

 Kind Regards,

 Sunil Sethi

Chairman

Fashion Design Council of India

Keeping pace with the digital savvy shopper and expanding its presence in the Middle East, Ritu Kumar, one of the largest and most respected designer wear brands in India, is now available online at Namshi. 

Launched with Ritu Kumar & Label Ritu Kumar’s spring summer 2020 collection, Namshi is a perfect choice for the fashion-conscious and cosmopolitan young customer that shops online for its aspirational yet accessible product selection, huge choice of brands and authentically urban aesthetic.

 

“We are extremely pleased to announce the presence of Ritu Kumar and Label Ritu Kumar on Namshi. It has always been our endeavour to provide exceptional customer experience on every platform be it our stores or e-commerce websites. Our association with Namshi is in sync with the brand’s plan for the region, says Amrish Kumar. The portal champions digital innovation with its free app and mobile friendly website making it the ultimate fashion destination for the younger generation.

 

Sharing a history dating back to 1954, KARL LAGERFELD and The Woolmark Company will introduce 777 limited-edition “Knit Karl” boxes including Merino yarn, knitting needles, and patterns imagined by Karl Lagerfeld.

PARIS, FRANCE – The Maison KARL LAGERFELD and The Woolmark Company announces the launch of the Knit Karl box. The limited- edition “do it yourself” box set will include items to hand knit an exclusive Australian Merino wool design, which was imagined by the late Karl Lagerfeld.

Breaking down borders, everyone across the world is invited to take part in a digital scavenger hunt, searching for a unique code for the chance to win a limited edition Knit Karl box. There are 777 knit boxes created – an ode to the iconic designer’s favourite number. The competition will run from February 7 until March 7, with the exclusive codes to be entered at at www.knitkarl.com.

Both Karl Lagerfeld and his namesake brand share a longstanding relationship with Woolmark. The late designer first rose to fame after he won the 1954 Woolmark Prize in the coat category. Then just 21 years old, the win launched the start of his extraordinary career that changed the face of fashion. In 2018, the idea of a collaboration with The Woolmark Company was born and together the two companies developed the initial phases of this special project. Furthermore, beginning with the Fall 2020 collection, all KARL LAGERFELD knitwear will be made using Woolmark-certified premium wool.

 

Each Knit Karl box will contain one of four unisex Lagerfeld designs — a pullover, cap, headband or scarf — plus knitting needles, yarn, personalised pins and instructions for how to knit the piece. The yarn is made from pure Australian Merino wool that is 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable.

“Our relationship with the late Karl Lagerfeld dates back to 1954, when a young, emerging designer presented a daffodil yellow wool coat to a prestigious judging panel which included Christian Dior and Hubert de Givenchy,” says Stuart McCullough, The Woolmark Company Managing Director. “It is emotional that Karl Lagerfeld’s first major accomplishment was with wool, as was one of his last projects. The Knit Karl box gives each owner a unique experience that combines the pride of wearing a high-fashion designer piece with the satisfaction of having created it themselves.”

 Gucci announced that its Cruise 2021 collection will be presented in the City and County of San Francisco on Monday, May 18, 2020.

Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele has chosen the Northern Californian city for its history as a centre of liberal activism. A cultural melting pot and the setting for many historic moments that have shaped the world, San Francisco is a symbol for liberty, where antidotes to discrimination have been cultivated, sowing the seeds for freedom of self-expression for many.

This spirit represents Alessandro Michele’s vision for Gucci: the acceptance of diversity and the right to be oneself.  Unveiling the collection in the city will also reconnect him with his most personal raison d’être: a celebration and validation of self-expression, emancipation and ultimately, freedom.

The Cruise 2021 fashion show follows five years of Gucci Cruise shows held in historically and culturally significant places; including the Dia-Art Foundation in New York, the Cloisters of Westminster Abbey in London, the Palatine Gallery in Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the Promenade Des Alyscamps in Arles, and the Capitoline Museums in Rome.

Gucci Hosted a private event to celebrate the release of Antwaun Sargent’s book ,The New Black Vanguard

   

Gucci hosted a private event at the Monte Napoleone Flagship store to celebrate the release of the book The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion by Antwaun Sargent.

The volume leads us through the work of fifteen artists, whose vibrant portraits and conceptual images fuse the genres of art and fashion photography in ways that break down long-established boundaries: Campbell Addy, Arielle Bobb-Willis, Micaiah Carter, Awol Erizku, Nadine Ijewere, Quil Lemons, Namsa Leuba, Renell Medrano, Tyler Mitchell, Jamal Nxedlana, Daniel Obasi, Ruth Ossai, Adrienne Raquel, Dana Scruggs, and Stephen Tayo.

Their work has been widely consumed in traditional lifestyle magazines, ad campaigns, and museums, as well as on their individual social-media channels, reinfusing the contemporary visual vocabulary around beauty and the body with new vitality and substance. The images open up conversations around the roles of the black body and black lives as subject matter; collectively, they celebrate black creativity and the cross-pollination between art, fashion, and culture in constructing an image. Seeking to challenge the idea that blackness is homogenous, the works serve as a form of visual activism. It’s a perspective often seen from this loose movement of emerging talents, who are creating photography in vastly different contexts – New York and Johannesburg, Lagos and London. The results – often made in collaboration with black stylists and fashion designers – present new perspectives on the medium of photography and the notions of race and beauty, gender and power.

A befitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi – The life, The legend, The legacy, the city witnessed the opening of Swar Santati an endeavor to offer a platform to voices in art, culture and literature, irrespective of their origin or medium.

Swar Santati inaugurated by Sh. Jairam Ramesh (Hon’ble Member of Parliament), Sukanya Bharatram (Trustee, Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust) and  Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi (Member Secretary, IGNCA) at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in collaboration with Ms Lavina Baldota (the Baldota Foundation) and Swar, is a stage where all participating artists are given their own opportunity, their own voice, and their swar.

Participating artists come from disciplines of visual and performing arts, design and literature. Swar Santati is a stage that does not discriminate, preach or idolize. The works and the minds involved in Swar Santati strive to reiterate the very core of Gandhi’s message – that another way is possible.

Indian classical music deems swar as that independent note or sound which, when laid in a democratic lattice, forms rhythm or melody where each swar gets its own due. Similarly, Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of swaraj was that of a land of equal opportunities. He believed in the true growth of individuals if they are given suitable chances in a fertile and free environment, sensitive to the rhythm of being. Santati is a sequence that does not break, an infinite loop, a continuum. Through his seamless, sleepless journey from Gandhi to Mahatma, this visionary radiated, imbibed and left behind messages in mindful living, messages bare in their truth, messages that move in the concentric rings of time, holding within them the power to overturn the world.

“Swar Santati, personally for me has become a limitless canvas of introspection and self-discovery woven by yarns of ethos derived from Gandhian Influence rendered with the hues of my most intrinsic emotions, especially love and pride for my roots, my country, its leaders, artists, artisans, its aesthetics and its rich heritage” says Lavina Baldota, custodian of the Baldota Foundation and founder of Swar Santati.

On the occasion of Dior’s haute couture show, the installation by American artist Judy Chicago, The Female Divine, is exhibited in the garden of the Rodin Museum.

At the invitation of Maria Grazia Chiuri for the Dior spring-summer 2020 haute couture show, Judy Chicago designed a spectacular set resembling a sacred environment with a series of banners that pose a series of provocative questions. The Creative Director pays particular attention to the history of feminist art, both in terms of formal inspirations and her approach to true creative collaborations. Her exchanges with the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

The American poet Robin Morgan and the Italian artist Tomaso Binga formed the starting points for her latest collections.

For Maria Grazia Chiuri, fashion and its mediatization in the contemporary context constitute a unique framework for the transmission of stories that go beyond clothing. From the decor to the tailoring, each collection establishes a discourse rich in meaning. Since taking over the Creative Direction of the House’s women’s collections, she has explored the different facets of feminine identity — inclusive, plural and universal — like a personal and militant update of the House’s heritage. This new dialogue hence chimes perfectly with her approach while offering the artist, a leading figure in American feminist art, the opportunity to present a monumental work in the heart of Paris.

The Female Divine is conceived as a proposition: that of an alternative history which sees the matriarchal principle (observed by anthropologists in societies up to the Bronze Age) continue to the present day. Judy Chicago invites us to reconsider the roles and power relationships that determine, through the lens of gender, the way we live together today. This anthropomorphic architectural structure notably harks back to one of her most memorable pieces, The Dinner Party (1974-79), while raising contemporary issues.